2010 Accomplishments

I’m going to spend some time writing about my 2010 accomplishments, failure, regrets, and resolutions.

Today is all about accomplishments… but let’s keep things in perspective. I don’t represent a dissident group in Burma; I didn’t cure AIDS; and I didn’t work very hard to repeal DADT. My successes in life are minor compared to the work accomplished by great people.

Creating a list of my accomplishments seems so narcissistic, but I’ll share a few.

I earned money as a writer. I didn’t earn enough to put the cats through college, but I can honestly say that I’m a working writer. Never mind that I write about careers and work. I accomplished a dream.

I killed Punk Rock HR. I killed it dead. It was a wonderful blog with a catchy title — but it was an awful brand that was associated with my entire online identity. If I wanted to do anything else with my life, I had to leave it behind. So I did.

I worked on a reality TV show. I was approached to film a demo reel and potential pilot for a show called Get a Job. After some thought on behalf of the producers, the show was retitled Job Hunters. The whole thing went nowhere, but the experience was amazing. I don’t mind failing because I’ve had follow-up interest to do other career-related shows. We will see where this goes. Want a look at the exclusive footage? It’s cringeworthy and my hair is flat thanks to the DC heat and grossness — but here you go. Hilarious. Yes, you can mock me. I don’t mind. How many people want to see you on TV? That’s what I thought.

I spoke at Ignite Raleigh. I spoke at a ton of events in 2010 but this one was special. People say that you do your best work when you’re having fun, and I didn’t understand what they meant until I stepped on stage. There were 700 people and I was able to talk about looking for a job, Human Resources, and my cat. I walked off stage and said, “I want to do this for the rest of my life.”

I produced a Career Summit. The first time you do anything is tough. Mistakes are made. Thankfully, I was able to work with my friend, Mark Stelzner, and help people get back to work. More importantly, I was able to learn about what it means to use ‘editorial discretion’ and publish good content versus crappy content. Mark and I wrapped our arms around the career industry and tried to define quality — and I think we did a good job.

My purse and passport were stolen in London but I survived. Were you around for that drama? The world stopped when I lost my identity — literally — to a thief. The good news? I connected with old colleagues and friends in London and I established life-long relationships with new friends. I managed to have a really good time, too. It was the most exhausting week of my life, but in retrospect, it was so fun.

I hate writing about my accomplishments because none of this really matters. No one is evaluating my performance. No one cares that I didn’t exceed expectations.